Detroit PBS to broadcast Interlochen Arts Academy’s world-premiere production of ‘Edmonia’
Dr. Bill Banfield’s groundbreaking hybrid opera will air on Detroit PBS on Monday, June 17 at 10 p.m. ET.
Sydney James Harcourt (left) and Amber Cierra Merritt (right) in Interlochen Arts Academy’s production of 'Edmonia.'
Interlochen Arts Academy’s world-premiere production of Dr. Bill Banfield’s groundbreaking hybrid opera, Edmonia, will be broadcast on Detroit PBS on Monday, June 17 at 10 p.m. ET.
Originally commissioned in 2000 by Pulitzer- and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, Edmonia tells the incredible true story of 19th century Black and indigenous sculptor Edmonia Lewis (1844-1907). The two-act opera chronicles Lewis’s remarkable life from her turbulent time at Oberlin College to her recognition as an internationally celebrated artist, posthumous erasure, and dramatic rediscovery in the 1970s.
One of the largest productions ever staged at Interlochen Arts Academy, Edmonia united more than 60 student, staff, and guest performers—including emerging opera artist Amber Cierra Merritt, Broadway star Sydney James Harcourt (AS 94, 97, IAA 94-97), and students from all seven of the Academy’s artistic disciplines. Arts Academy Instructor of Voice & Opera Laura Osgood-Brown and Director of Musical Theatre Justin Lee Miller co-directed the performance. Conductor and Berklee College of Music professor Julius Williams conducted Banfield’s genre-defying original score. The opera also featured dozens of meticulously crafted period costumes, a high-tech rotating stage design, multimedia projections, and more.
Learn more about the making of Edmonia via Interlochen Public Radio
“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Detroit PBS once more to share the powerful tale of a long-forgotten artist with a broader audience,” said Interlochen Center for the Arts President Trey Devey. “We hope viewers in Detroit and around the world will be inspired by Edmonia Lewis’s exceptional artistry, courage, and resilience—and by the dedicated performers and creatives who worked tirelessly to bring her story to life.”
About Detroit PBS
Serving Southeast Michigan, Detroit PBS is Michigan’s largest and most watched television station, with the most diverse public television audience in the country. Each week, more than 2 million viewers across Southeast Michigan and Canada tune in to watch the station’s five broadcast channels. Detroit PBS is the state’s only community-licensed station, meaning it operates independently of any educational or government institution. Its mission is to educate, engage, entertain and inspire through public media, delivering programming that showcases arts, culture, news and analysis, and educational outreach campaigns to broaden knowledge and understanding. It provides open access to trusted, balanced and inspiring content in partnership with the region’s diverse communities. To learn more, visit www.detroitpbs.org.
